The spectre of catastrophic territorial collapse haunts Ukraine’s defensive lines, echoing the dire losses of 2022, while the government awaits the outcome of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump on 15 August, according to Ukrainian media.
Ukrainian analyst Taras Chmut starkly warns that Ukraine risks losing “hundreds of square kilometres daily” unless systemic failures in manpower, command, and defensive preparation are urgently addressed. His grim prognosis stems from observing a cascading breakdown in unit integrity.
If brigade-level defences fracture, Russia’s year-long accumulation of armoured groups could exploit the breach, surging into operational depth with devastating speed, he said, adding that “ignoring problems does not lead to their solution.”
This warning manifests acutely north of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces achieved a significant 13-kilometre advance over a single weekend, penetrating what Ukraine’s intelligence confirm were shockingly undermanned defensive lines.
Expensive fortifications stood virtually empty due to catastrophic personnel shortages. Italian military analyst Playfra argued that disorganised Ukrainian retreats lengthen the frontline, worsening personnel deficits and triggering further collapses, labelling the command here “weak” and the situation “critical.”
Russian units have now reached operational space behind Ukrainian lines, threatening Ukraine’s entire military logistics network in the Donetsk region. The advance mirrors tactics seen after Avdiivka’s fall, exploiting a collapsed northern flank near Rodynske.
While Ukrainian troops dig new trenches further back near Shevchenko and Svitlodarsk, concerns mount over the encirclement threats to Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, and Kostiantynivka, and advances towards Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka.
Reports echo these concerns, as Ukrainian commanders publicly acknowledge systemic failures in training and resource allocation, with figures like Bohdan Krotevych highlighting the unsustainable strain, while journalists like Julian Röpcke document the demoralising impact of constant retreats on frontline units struggling with exhaustion and insufficient support.
Ukraine voices against territorial concessions ahead of Alaska summit
Amid this deteriorating battlefield picture, Kyiv vehemently rejects any notion of ceding further territory in potential peace negotiations, setting a red line ahead of Friday’s high-stakes Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.
While The Telegraph reports a potential softening, suggesting Kyiv might reluctantly accept a freeze along current frontlines, effectively recognising Russian control over seized parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea, Ukraine’s President Zelensky remains adamant.
He implored European leaders to reject any settlement proposed by Donald Trump requiring Ukraine to surrender additional land, declaring, “Any decisions made without Ukraine are simultaneously decisions against peace.”
European powers, excluded from the Alaska talks, rally behind Ukraine’s insistence on participation. Leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, and the EU Commission jointly declared that “the path in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
Trump’s public frustration with Zelensky’s constitutional constraints on ceding territory only heightens anxiety in Kyiv and European capitals that Ukraine’s fate could be decided in its absence.
